152 HAUSTI.LLATA. — LEPIDOPTERA. 



Gray-brown, irrorated with dusky: anterior wings griseous-brown, or dull- 

 white, dotted with fuscous ; with two transverse strigae of the last colour, 

 one slightly curved towards the base, the other flexuous behind the middle; 

 the former is edged externally with black, and the other internally, and on 

 the outside of the last are three or four dusky or black spots, and between 

 these is sometimes an obscure dusky transverse striga, generally interrupted 

 in the middle ; on the hinder margin is a row of minute black lunular dots; 

 cilia ashy and fuscous : posterior wings dull-white, irrorated with fuscous, 

 with sometimes a central transverse black striga. The female has only the 

 rudiments of wings; they are cinereous or fuscous, with three transverse 

 black lines on the anterior, and two on the posterior. 



Excessively variable, scarcely two specimens occurring precisely similar: in 

 some cases the anterior wings are black, with a broad central dull-white 

 fascia, and a few white clouds on the black border : the posterior have also 

 occasionally a black fimbria. 



Very abundant in oak woods near London, at the end of Fe- 

 bruary and in March, the male flying slowly undulating by daj'-, 

 about noon, especially at Coombe-wood and Oak-of- Honour-wood, 

 Peckham : — it is also pretty generally distributed throughout the 

 country. " Epping." — Mr. Doiibleday. " Newcastle." — G. Wailes, 

 Esq. 



Sp. 2. ^scularia. Alls fusco-griseis, fascid media albo marginatd extus den- 

 taia saturatiore, lineoMque apicis obliqudfusca. (Exp. alar. 1 unc. 4 — 6 lin.) 



Ge. .Slscularia. Wien. Verz. — An. ^scularia. Steph. Catal. pai-t ii. p. 116. 

 No. 6447. 



Griseous-brown : anterior wings of a glossy griseous-brown, finely dotted with 

 black, with two transverse somewhat transparent whitish dentate strigs, the 

 space between being of a darker hue than the rest of the wings and somewhat 

 irregularly edged with black, and a slightly lunular spot within the fascia 

 towards the costa ; between the angle of the hinder striga and the apex of the 

 wing is an oblique fuscous dash : posterior wings whitish-brown, with a faint 

 transverse fascia, and a distinct spot on the disc, brown : the extreme edge of 

 a.11 the wings with a row of minute black spots : cilia pale fuscous. Female 

 with very short rudiments of wings, of a mouse colour, with pale griseous dots 

 on the head and breast. 



The male is slightly variable in colour. The caterpillar is green, with a white 

 longitudinal line on each side of the back, and another paler one above the 

 legs, with other indistinct ones on the back and sides: — it feeds on the privet, 

 sloe, and horse-chestnut : — the imago appears in the spring. 



Not uncommon on palings and trunks of trees during March, 

 within the metropolitan district. " Epping." — 3Ir. Douhledaij . 

 " Keswick."— G. Watles, Esq. 



